Homeownership is part of the American Dream, and having a custom home built for you takes that dream to the next level. But, you may be wondering, “where do I start when building a home?” That’s a great question and, lucky for you, the answer is relatively simple: you start with the basics. 

Odds are, you probably don’t know a whole lot about the custom home building process or how to navigate it. That’s okay — there are plenty of other people out there who do. And they’re willing to share their hard-won knowledge with you! If you want to figure out how to start building a house, look online for custom home building resources, statistics, and testimonials. Then, talk to a local home builder for more specifics. 

Before you go rushing off to start your own research, we’ve compiled a list of online home-building resources and some advice for meeting with a contract builder. Check it out below!

Online Resources

The internet is a great place to begin building your knowledge base. You can start broad by looking up “what to consider when building a house” and other general home-building questions. Or, you can search for something specific, like a home-building checklist or industry data. Here are a few internet resources we find particularly helpful:

• Houzz.com: You can check out Houzz.com to see what people across the country (and around the world) have done to create the house of their dreams. You can even shop for some of the fixtures that you see in the thousands of photos.
• NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders website is an excellent place to glean information on the state of the home-building industry, particularly if you’re curious to know more about supply chain shortages, price increases, and other challenges currently impacting the industry. 
• Media Reports and Guide: Online news sites such as Forbes and USAToday frequently have information about buying a home in their “money” or “finance” sections. You can also look for information on home improvement sites like The Spruce and Zillow. 
• Builder Websites: Checking out a local builder's website can be a great source of information. For instance, on the Sunwood website, you can get detailed information about floor plans, custom homes, service areas, remodeling processes, and other resources. 

Speak Directly With a Builder

The internet is great, but one of the best things you can do is actually talk to a builder. Builders can share their insider knowledge with you, giving you specific information on local requirements for building a house, advice on how to start designing a house, and more. 

Of course, you’ll want to talk to someone who knows the custom home building process like the back of their hand. And you’ll also want to speak with someone who listens to what is important to you — and isn’t just trying to sell you inventory they have on hand.

That’s why we’ve developed our “Talk to a Sunwood Home Advisor” program. It’s a simple, 10-minute, no-obligation phone consultation with a Sunwood building professional that covers key information such as:

• Design trend ideas
• Examples of what other people are doing in similar situations
• A budget range to determine the feasibility
• Answers to your specific questions and concerns

There is no obligation whatsoever on your part! At the end of this 10-minute call, we'll direct you towards the best route to completing your new project — even if Sunwood isn't the best fit for you.

Click here to schedule a free, no-obligation call with a Sunwood professional home advisor.

Bottom line, use all the resources you have available to you — the internet, local builders, even advice from other homeowners — to figure out what you want, need, and should be aware of for your custom home project. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to find the right builder for your project and get started creating your custom home!